In certain fluid systems, for example in cooling systems for internal combustion engines, a liquid coolant degrades over time as it recirculates through the system. It can be necessary or desirable to recharge the coolant by releasing inhibitors into the flow. This is done by locating a recharge assembly, including a housing and a replaceable recharge canister, in the liquid line.
It is also known to add a filter assembly, including a housing and replaceable filter element, to the cooling system in order to remove particulates such as rust, scale and dirt. Such a filter assembly, however, requires additional space in the engine compartment in addition to the recharge assembly. Both the filter element and recharge canister also must be separately accessed from their respective housings and replaced when they become spent.
The amount of space available for the recharge assembly and filter assembly is limited. So too is the time and effort available to access both assemblies for replacement of the recharge canister and filter element. It is believed that it would be advantageous to combine the recharge assembly and filter assembly into an integral, compact assembly. It is also believed it would be advantageous to provide such an assembly where the filter element and recharge canister are combined into a cartridge, which can be easily accessed and removed as a single component when spent. It is further believed advantageous that such a recharge and filter assembly be robust, dependable and low in cost.